Slow start at Adam Smith

It took several hours for the mas to start in earnest before the Adam Smith Square judging point on Ariapita Avenue in Woodbrook, but by midday, the bands were flowing without lapse.

The seated gathering, mostly from abroad, had to wait for hours, following the presentations by bands D Krewe’s Saga of the Open Seas and D Harvard Band’s Toute Bagaille.

There was an almost two-hour lapse before things began moving again.

At times, the police presence outnumbered pedestrians and small band revellers. Helicopters circled above whilst police on foot and on horseback patrolled the route.

Meanwhile, We Asia Restaurant across the road did brisk business, as did several other establishments who chose to take advantage of the restless pedestrian traffic along the route.

Following Cat in Bag Productions’ delivery, Suck It, Jus Wee and Friends brought the crowd to life at around 11.45 a.m. One of their masqueraders, 94-year-old Audrey Williams, got a standing ovation as she chipped down the road to Farmer Nappy’s ‘Big People Party’, a favourite with the senior crowd.

Machel Montano’s “Ministry of Road” was the tune of choice on the day, with Nappy’s offering and Kerwin Du Bois’ “Too Real” battling for a distant second.

Yuma hit the scene at 12.45 p.m. in a steady flow of feathers, bikinis and beads. There were no defined sections as the 20-minute stream of masqueraders did not remain in their sections.

From that point on there was no lull in the portrayals.

The CEPEP crews which sought to clean the street between bands ended up caught in sections as they passed and were told by officials to wait until they were given clearance to do so.

Police were also kept busy chasing and guiding pedestrians away from the immediate area in front of the judges so as not to obstruct their clear view of the bands.

Several other bands crossed the judging point, including The Word and Associates’ Numbers, DHR Mas’ Drumbeat, Ronnie and Caro’s De River Come Down, Wee Mas’ The Reef of Life, Legacy’s Nature’s Touch and K2K’s VIE: Rise of the Sanctuary.

By 5 p.m., Trini Reveller’s The Sultan’s Palace was preparing to cross the judging point.

Cars were parked in every available space in the Woodbrook area and several wreckers were seen making their way from French Street onto Wrightson Road.

Minutes later they were speeding along the road, each with a vehicle in tow.